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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674277">The Prototype</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Robots &amp; Androids, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Androids, Angst, Friends to Lovers, Laboratories, M/M, Mild Smut, Robots, Romance, Science Fiction, Sexual Content, Vignette, but not a sad ending, dark themes, mild violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:55:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674277</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hojo's greatest project was meant to produce a robot with a sentient mind.</p><p>Cloud, his assistant, helps with his latest prototype: a handsome android with dark hair and glowing blue eyes.</p><p>(A Zakkura Love Story)</p><p>
  <strong>Science Fiction/Futuristic/Android AU.</strong>
  <br/>
  <kbd></kbd>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Zack Fair/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Prototype</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Trigger warning: A brief, non-graphic reference to implied child abuse/sexual assault.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The room was filled with body parts.</p><p>Legs, arms, and torsos in various shades of flesh. Disembodied breasts and flaccid cocks hung in rows off metal hooks, of all sizes and shapes. Passing through the seemingly endless aisles felt akin to visiting an abattoir.</p><p>A glass case contained a display of eyes - eyes that had no twin, each solitary color laid out in neat alignment. The irises formed a spectrum of various hues.</p><p>Cloud rubbed his arms in the chilly air and suppressed a shudder. The design laboratory had always filled him with disquiet. He quickened his pace, hoping to finish his task and make his exit sooner.</p><p>“Got another custom order for you, Tetsu.”</p><p>Tetsu took the envelope from him and scanned the sheet with his quiet dark eyes. Frowning, he lowered his round metal glasses to peer at the paper more closely, as if he were not processing it properly.</p><p>“This can’t be right. This order is for a decommissioned prototype.” Looking up at him with squinting eyes, Tetsu asked, “Who requested this?”</p><p>“It’s from Hojo.”</p><p>Clucking his tongue, Tetsu folded up the paper and slipped it back into the envelope. “That design was considered a failure. Unusable. As were all the previous designs. I don’t know why he keeps asking us to recreate this body.”</p><p>Shrugging, Cloud said, “I’m just the messenger. Will you let us know when it’s ready?”</p><p>Sighing, Tetsu gave him a tired look. “Give me one week.”</p>
<hr/><p>Prototype Z’s eyes opened for the first time, glowing in the darkness.</p>
<hr/><p>The skin was unmarred, tinted a shade or two darker than his own. The face was handsome and framed by jet black hair. The body was pleasantly muscular, and completely hairless. The eyes stared blankly at him with that tell-tale ring of light.</p><p>Cloud took his lab coat off and draped it around the front of the prototype, so that its nakedness could be concealed.</p><p>Hojo sneered, a quadrant of his upper lip unfurling. “It’s not cold, you idiot. It’s not programmed to feel cold.”</p><p>He resisted the urge to glare at his boss. “I know that. I just feel more comfortable with him covered.”</p><p>“It’s not programmed to feel shame, either. But I suppose <em>you</em> are, aren’t you, my boy?” Hojo chuckled.</p><p>Cloud ignored him. Hojo often asked rhetorical questions.</p><p>The androids produced by the Shinra corporation had a variety of applications. Though none of them achieved any groundbreaking level of artificial intelligence, their bodies appeared indistinguishable from real flesh and blood.</p><p>Inevitably, the most popular use for them was for sex. “Personal companion” was the term that the marketing department preferred to use. Additional personas could be added to the software, so that they could perform domestic work and other simple tasks.</p><p>Hojo’s personal project had been to create an evolved version of the android. One with true sentience and intelligence. One that could do more than vacuum carpets or contort into a variety of sexual positions.</p><p>One that could become self-aware.</p><p>He called them failures. Cloud had not seen any of them, but he had overheard rumors about them. Allegedly, the first prototype had gone completely insane when it realized its true nature. They had to put it down.</p><p>It had killed thirteen lab assistants before they did.</p><p>Cloud stared at the new prototype, imagining his head being crushed in by the large biceps.</p><p>“Tetsu said this one was a failure. Was it ever awakened?” He couldn’t help but brush the cheek with his fingers. The proprietary biomaterial felt just like skin, though slightly too smooth. The android did not react to his touch.</p><p>“No.” Hojo took a scalpel and cut along the android’s right arm. A thin line of green fluid leaked out. He pushed his thumbs into the incision, parted it obscenely, and plugged a cable into the hidden port inside of it.</p><p>The monitor flashed with different statistics and files. One portion of the code was dedicated to realistic gestures, such as blinking and breathing. Another stored a bank of knowledge, and yet another handled directives and commands.</p><p>For increased realism, an optional set could also control more nuanced reactions, such as the perception of temperature or embarrassment.</p><p>They would be adding the sentience code before the day was over. The algorithm that would make it far more human than any of its kin.</p><p>“Hojo. What’s to keep this one from... failing like the others did?”</p><p>“I have a new theory to test,” Hojo said with a smug satisfaction. “And you’re going to help me.”</p>
<hr/><p>According to Hojo, the algorithm was so efficient at replicating the human mind that it also replicated its flaws. Including the potential for a psychotic break, or other mental illnesses.</p><p>Based on known research, the human psyche becomes far more resilient with the establishment of social bonds. Even a single social relationship should, in theory, increase psychological resilience manyfold.</p><p>“Why me?” Cloud was understandably nervous. He didn’t care for the idea of living with a synthetic being that could snap at any moment.</p><p>“You’re closest in age range to the personality and memories we will give him. He’ll be able to relate to you best.” Hojo clicked away on his computer, creating the construct of a person.</p><p>“Doesn’t he need a name? I mean ... we can’t just call him <em>Prototype Z</em>,” Cloud pointed out.</p><p>The android’s beguiling face remained dispassionate as the data was buffering and compiling. </p><p>Due to the nature of their commercial appeal, all of the test subjects had been designed to be  unnaturally good-looking. This one looked like a sporty beefcake, Cloud thought.</p><p>He peered into its currently glassy, lifeless eyes. “How about Zack? He looks like a Zack to me.”</p><p>Hojo paused in his brisk typing. “That’s fine. I’ll add it into his profile.”</p><p>The false memories implanted would tell the android that Cloud was already his friend. It would tell the android that he was a twenty-three year old technician working in the labs alongside him.</p><p>“Cloud, it’s important that you don’t tell him the truth, initially. Establish a rapport first. Don’t allow him to doubt his identity.”</p><p>“Won’t I need to know the memories too? What if he asks me how we met and I can’t answer?”</p><p>Hojo handed him a VR headset and keycard. “I’ll have the majority of what you need to watch in about a half hour. You may take the rest of the day off after you’re done.”</p>
<hr/><p>Zack smiled at him.</p><p>“Cloud. You’ve barely touched your lunch today. Feeling okay, buddy?” </p><p>The android reached out and touched his forehead, as if to assess for a fever. It was, in fact, one of the features that they had placed into models with a caretaker profile installed.</p><p>His fingers felt warm and life-like.</p><p>The bodies weren’t quite human, but they were comprised of organic material. They were designed to digest food similarly to humans, with chemicals breaking down the substances, even providing actual expulsions of feces and urine.</p><p><em>For realism</em>, the original research notes had said. Cloud recalled being amused by the discovery. The project lead, Reeve Tuesti, noted that he was inspired by a fine art piece entitled <em>Cloaca</em>, which was a long and elaborate contraption. From one end, food and drink was poured. From the other end, a turd would be produced after filtering through the passage.</p><p>It was an optional feature, of course - the desire or compulsion to eat could be turned on or off, and all the details that made the androids more human-like served to make consumers more at ease around them.</p><p>Cloud did not feel at ease, however.</p><p>There was a strangeness to the familiarity with which Zack addressed him. It was a familiarity that was not warranted at all. The android possessed what he perceived to be actual memories, and Cloud only had knowledge of the memory. They were two entirely different things.</p><p>“We’re friends, right?”</p><p>The question sent a chill down his spine. He had been directed to report any odd inquiries, such as if Zack began questioning his own reality or identity. On the surface, the question appeared innocuous.</p><p>“Of course, Zack.”</p><p>A brief flicker of doubt - the mildest of microexpressions - appeared to pass over the android’s face, before disappearing. That was another one of Tuesti’s clever inventions.</p><p>Such microexpressions were so ephemeral that one could only observe them if you were looking for them. But they added yet one more subtle layer of realism to interactions, on an imperceptible level.</p><p>The android’s face burst into a warm grin. Hojo had granted him boisterous, energetic, and confident traits. With a sneer, he had informed Cloud, “Your social skills leave much to be desired. We’ll let the specimen compensate for that, so that it’s less awkward for you.”</p><p>Cloud didn’t have any friends.</p><p>His other colleagues were polite and courteous with him, but never warm. Perhaps it was his cold, closed off demeanor. He ended up spending the majority of his time with Hojo, and he didn’t even like the man much.</p><p>“Then tell me what’s bothering you. You know I can always tell when you’re upset.” Zack looked at him inquisitively, his head tilted to one side.</p><p>Cloud forced a smile on his face. “It’s nothing, Zack. I promise. Just got a little motion sickness on the company shuttle today.”</p><p>“I told you stop riding those things. We should totally get motorcycles and just zip all over campus. It’ll be so fun.” Zack chuckled. “Can you imagine Hojo’s face when he sees us?”</p><p>It seemed that the memories inserted also  contained conversations that never happened.</p><p>“He would lose his shit,” Cloud agreed.</p>
<hr/><p>After several months, he nearly forgot that Zack wasn’t a real person.</p><p>They had forced Cloud to change dormitories to a shared one, moving his personal effects into a new room. They peppered Zack’s room with objects that would help ground him to his pre-constructed identity, based on the false memories, such as an old Fender guitar with one long scratch along its body.</p><p>Zack crooned a made-up tune, strumming along with the four popular chords that nearly eighty percent of popular music shared their basis upon. Cloud knew that, because he had helped populate the library of creative skills they had programmed into him.</p><p>“<em>Cloudy, Cloudy, Rainstorm’s a comin’, Let’s come over, for some kind of lovin’</em>,” he sang.</p><p>The silliness of it made him burst out into laughter. He hadn’t expected the android to possess the creativity to invent something entirely new, and even infuse the humor trait into it. Zack was remarkable.</p><p>“You’re so fucking dumb sometimes, Zack.” Uttered with a smile, it was meant to be an affectionate insult.</p><p>Zack winked at him. “Aw, you love it and you know it.”</p><p>And Cloud did.</p><p>He never had friends as a child, growing up in the small town of Nibelheim. For whatever reason, the other children shunned him. The memory of it was still painful. All he ever wanted was acceptance.</p><p>When he failed to receive it, Cloud grew surly and defensive, like a small dog that had been bullied too often. The more they pushed him out, the more he became a person who wanted to stay out.</p><p>Zack had succeeded in making him laugh when no one else could. He hadn’t laughed in years.</p><p>Cloud enjoyed finally having someone to complain about Hojo with, as they worked side by side in the labs. After work, they usually went over to Shinra’s on-campus entertainment district to watch movies and have dinner.</p><p>Perhaps it would work, Cloud thought. Perhaps the friendship - the real one, the one that was spontaneously being created right now, and not the injected memories - would prevent Zack from breaking down when he finally learned the truth.</p><p>He hoped that it would.</p>
<hr/><p>A tear slid down Zack’s perfect cheek.</p><p>Like other bodily fluids, the synthetic tear ducts were designed to synthesize ingested fluids and food to produce realistic simulations, such as a saline solution.</p><p>“What the fuck, Cloud,” he whispered.</p><p>They stared down at the naked body of a ten-year-old girl. The organic skin material was mottled with bruises, blooming red-purple, and in some places, faded to yellow, in order to simulate the appearance of broken blood vessels.</p><p>It was a detail Reeve Tuesti had put in that he hadn’t fully understood. Not until now. The bio-architect left no notes on this feature.</p><p>The implication made him sick to the stomach.</p><p>The girl’s long dark hair was wet with a green substance. It was an electromagnetic fluid that powered internal functions, the equivalent of blood. The pelvic region had been damaged beyond repair.</p><p>“Why the fuck would they make this?” Zack trembled with anger. He looked heartbroken. Hojo had dialed up the integrity and compassion traits, hoping to avoid the mistakes of his first infamous  failure.</p><p>“Some wealthy customer commissioned it, most likely,” Cloud answered. A hint of disgust lingered in his tone.</p><p>Zack slammed his fist onto the metal slab of the table, so hard that the echo of it rang in Cloud’s ears. The girl’s body, which lay like a corpse, had been marginally disturbed from the impact.</p><p>“It’s ... <em>wrong</em>. Everything about this is wrong.” The android shuddered. Cloud couldn’t help but be reminded that this was a result of his advanced programming.</p><p>“She’s not real, Zack.” Cloud froze, realizing what he had just said.</p><p>Zack didn’t appear to notice his reaction. He was still mourning over the damaged child android laid out before them. Her small, helpless body littered with evidence of abuse.</p><p>Swallowing heavily, he tried to come up with a justification that would ease both of their consciences.</p><p>“Think about it this way, Zack. If we hadn’t made this specimen, the client might have hurt an actual little girl.”</p><p>Zack slumped his shoulders, and Cloud could tell that he didn’t accept the explanation. He was programmed to be too moral, too honorable. It was the assurance they had given him, when Cloud initially feared Zack.</p><p>Cloud did not feel similarly affected. He knew that the companion robots lacked any sentience at all, and were programmed only to perform a limited number of functions. They were not like Zack.</p><p>Hojo walked over with his arms clasped behind his back, a frown on his wrinkly face. The cigarettes that he constantly smoked had prematurely aged him, making their skin look like a baby’s in comparison.</p><p>“Why aren’t you two done yet? Dissect the specimen and salvage the parts that you can. We’re going to have to build a new vessel for the client and ship it back next week.”</p><p>Zack looked as if he were going to make sick on himself. But Cloud knew that vomiting was not a reaction they had given him. He wondered if Zack’s artificial intelligence would be able to override that and conjure new commands, just as he had conjured a new song.</p><p>Guiltily, he allowed Zack to turn away as he picked up the scalpel and began carving into the child’s flesh.</p>
<hr/><p>Cloud moaned under Zack’s weight, as the android pounded into him from behind.</p><p>It had simply been a natural progression of things. He recalled all the heated glances they had exchanged whenever Zack finished a shower, wearing only a towel around his waist. The vessels were waterproof, of course.</p><p>Zack had always found reasons to touch him. A hand brushing the small of his back, cupping his face, or even the constant ruffling of his gravity-defying blond hair, which the android teased him mercilessly about.</p><p>Cloud had pointed out that his own hair was not much better in that regard, tugging on that lone strand that hung in front of Zack’s pool blue eyes.</p><p>“So you’re a virgin?” Zack murmured onto his lips, then plunged his tongue inside them before Cloud could reply.</p><p>Technically, so was Zack. His body had never been used, never even been brought back to commission until now. But for some unknown  reason, Hojo had decided to give him memories of sexual experience. With both women and men.</p><p>“Don’t worry. I’ll make you feel so good,” Zack promised lustily. His low, sensual tone filled Cloud’s ear. He even felt the condensation of his breath tickling his ear drums.</p><p>Of course, this was exactly what the androids had their specifications designed for, based on what the market demanded. Cloud had just never tried it for himself.</p><p>The models were anatomically correct, from the sensitive head of the penis, down to placement of the prostate and the pleasurable sensations that could be derived through its stimulation.</p><p>Zack’s skin seemed somehow more porous, more real, as it pulsed against his own.</p><p>The android knew how to please him. He knew how to press against that spot over and over with the rhythm of his hips.</p><p>Cloud felt his cries hitch inside his throat as Zack’s synthetic semen shot inside of him, dribbling down the back of his thighs.</p>
<hr/><p>He sometimes noticed Tetsu staring at them from across the employee cafeteria, an inscrutable look on his face.</p>
<hr/><p>The image on the screen was of his own face, blushing and eyes shut tight from arousal, obscene sounds escaping his lips. The way he had looked through Zack’s eyes.</p><p>“Was it that good?” Hojo asked.</p><p>The humiliation made Cloud’s fists clench tighter and set his cheeks aflame. Though Hojo had never sexually harassed him previously, the man had always struck him as creepy.</p><p>“It’s fine, boy. Why do you think I gave him that experience? A romantic attachment may inspire even more stability. Yes... this is a good development.”</p><p>With a sneer, he added, “Besides, it’s not like you can breed.”</p>
<hr/><p>Zack gazed at him with a wounded mien. It reminded Cloud of a crestfallen puppy. “Did I do something wrong? Did I hurt you?”</p><p>“No, it’s not that.”</p><p>He brushed his thumb along one side of his jaw. “Then what is it?”</p><p>Cloud thought of Hojo, secretly watching his most private and vulnerable moments. It made his stomach lurch with revulsion. He told Zack that he only wanted to fuck in complete darkness. </p><p>His lover assumed that Cloud was merely self-conscious about his body. While attractive in its own right, with a certain youthful appeal, it was smaller and scrawnier in comparison to his own.</p><p>The subtle green twin rings of light glowed at him in the dark. Zack never questioned the anomaly.</p>
<hr/><p>“Do you ever wonder why we never leave, Cloud?”</p><p>Zack’s face carried a pensive, dubious look. He gazed out beyond the Shinra campus, a large gated fence around the perimeter, beyond which lush green vegetation could be seen, the thin line of a cerulean shore, and nothing else.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“The amenities. The shopping. The convenience shuttles. The free food. The housekeeping and laundry services. Do you ever wonder why they provide everything so conveniently, so that we never want for anything?”</p><p>It was not something that Cloud had ever thought about before. Shinra was one of the top science and technology companies in the world, and those were simply the benefits that were expected with a job offer. There was also the fact that the headquarters was isolated on an island, which meant that there <em>wasn’t</em> anywhere else to go. It only seemed natural that all was provided for.</p><p>But Zack didn’t see convenience. He saw a cage.</p>
<hr/><p>“Does he pass the Turing Test, Cloud? Do you think that’s <em>love</em> he feels for you, or did I pre-program it into him?”</p><p>With a disgusted curl to his lip, he replied, “He’s more human than you are.”</p><p>Hojo stared at him through those dark circular glasses, which made him resemble a large insect. He let out a low, insane cackle.</p><p>“You’re probably right about that,” he said, amused. “Do you think he’ll feel <em>betrayal</em>, when he finds out that you’ve been lying to him this entire time?”</p>
<hr/><p>Zack’s lips kissed him hungrily.</p><p>“I love you, Cloud. I want you to remember that.”</p><p>All he could see in the dark were those haunting neon circles, occasionally interrupted by pre-programmed blinks. Zack’s cock pushed inside of him, stretching him, filling him.</p><p>“I love you too, Zack,” he answered back sadly.</p>
<hr/><p>“Boys. Bring me the files from the closet at the end of Aisle 4-D.”</p><p>He could hear Zack’s heavy steps behind him. Cloud scowled. “I can’t fucking stand Hojo lately. He’s such an asshole.”</p><p>“Yeah. He really is.”</p><p>They opened the closet to find themselves staring at another Zack. The same hair, the same eyes, the same flawless body. Only he was completely still, unblinking.</p><p>Cloud’s guilt made his shoulders sag and his voice waver with dread. “Zack…I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He half-expected to watch his lover explode into an existential, violent rage.</p><p>But he only glanced back at him with grief in his eyes.</p><p>“I’m the one who’s sorry, Cloud.”</p>
<hr/><p>Cloud sat in front of the laptop, a blank rectangular search box staring back at him. Hojo stood behind Zack, clutching his own chin thoughtfully, a light of anticipation in his eyes.</p><p>“I don’t understand.”</p><p>Zack looked pained. “Search for Nibelheim, Cloud.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Just do it. Please. For me.”</p><p>0 results found.</p>
<hr/><p>When Cloud came to, he was on top of Zack in an incandescent rage, his fist around a silver letter opener which dug into Zack’s jaw with its blunted tip. He had carved an X into his lover’s perfect face.</p><p>The wound dripped with red.</p>
<hr/><p>Cloud heard voices above him. He was strapped down to a gurney, unable to move his arms or legs. A searing pain stabbed his skull, making it difficult to stay conscious.</p><p>“I had hoped that it would be <em>different</em> this time. Such a disappointment.” The voice sneered with disgust.</p><p>“Please, Hojo. Don’t erase him. Give him a chance. He’s just in shock.”</p><p>“I might as well keep the camera implants in you, since we’ll have to do this all over again.”</p><p>“Hojo. I can help him. Please ... don’t make him forget me again.”</p><p>“He’s my greatest experiment, not your little fucktoy, boy. I’ll make him succeed where Sephiroth failed.”</p><p>And then everything went dark. Pitch black.</p>
<hr/><p>This time, Cloud brushes his fingers against the x-shaped scar.</p><p>“I remember you, Zack.” He whispered, “I remember every time we were together.”</p>
<hr/><p>In the dead of night, Tetsu met them at the side gates and let them through. He led them to a small motor-powered boat, pre-filled with supplies such as a compass and food. He had insisted that they abandon all electronic devices back in the dorms.</p><p>Tetsu beckoned Cloud over and whispered a phrase into his ear that would temporarily reduce pain.</p><p>Then he took a knife to his spine, digging right in between the L2 and L3 vertebrae, and removed the tracking chip that had been embedded into his synthetic bones.</p><p>He applied the same repair fluid that both of them were accustomed to using in the labs, to patch up all the broken companions that had been sent back to the factory.</p><p>They watched the island slowly grow smaller and smaller, until it disappeared into the horizon.</p><p>“See, I promised you that I would get us out of there,” Zack whispered. His eyes no longer glowed.</p><p>Cloud’s lips trembled with emotion. Tetsu told him that he had been the only prototype imbued with the algorithm since the day he was “born”. He had never been without emotion.</p><p>“Thank you. I’m sorry... I’m sorry that I forgot.”</p><p>Zack kissed him, tenderly. “It wasn’t your fault. Just promise me one thing.”</p><p>“Anything.” Cloud leaned into his chest.</p><p>“Never forget me again.”</p><p>“I promise. I won’t.”</p><p>And he kept his promise.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I got the itch to write an Android Clack love story, and this is what came out of that.</p><p>As I was writing this, I realized that there must have been a heavy influence from Season One of Westworld, as I had inadvertently written a scene that exists in one of the episodes (where a lab technician tries to cover a naked robot's modesty). It's a great show, if you haven't watched it.</p><p>I really love movies where, upon re-watching, they convey entirely different meanings. I have always wanted to write an unreliable narrator story. I hope that you were able to get that feeling out of this story, and would love to hear your thoughts in the comments. ❤️</p><hr/><p>There are also some meta references in this story - the section that details the child android abuse expressed some of my own qualms about troubling content within fan fiction (noncon/dubcon, underage, etc). I'm not sure which side of the argument I agree with. I only concur that there should be obvious trigger warnings, and that readers should heed the warnings.</p><p>Tetsu is a nod to FF7 character designer Tetsuya Nomura. Interestingly, Zack was a very late addition to the main game, meant to add mystery and depth to Cloud's back story.</p><p>All three of the stories I've written also contain a reference to hating being a corporate drone, which I must admit, comes from personal experience.</p><p>Fun fact: There really is actually a piece of art that was designed to be a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wim_Delvoye#Cloaca">shit machine</a>, by the artist Wim Delvoye.</p><hr/><p>I hope that my author notes are not overly pretentious, I've just really enjoyed having different discussions about various topics with readers and fellow fans.</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p><hr/><p>
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